Late on the night of May 3rd into the early morning hours of May 4th, an area of thunderstorms caused flooding in more than 20 counties around eastern Kentucky. 8 Million of FEMA Individual and Public Assistance Disaster Declaration money was granted to the following counties: Breathitt, Floyd, Magoffin, Owsley and Pike.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS JKL wrote it up.
Late on the night of May 3rd into the early morning hours of May 4th, an area of thunderstorms caused flooding in more than 20 counties around eastern Kentucky.
For this flooding and additional flooding that occurred in eastern Kentucky from a heavy rainfall event on May 8-9, 2009, $18.8 Million of FEMA Individual and Public Assistance Disaster Declaration money was granted to the following counties: Breathitt, Floyd, Magoffin, Owsley and Pike. FEMA Public Assistance Disaster Declaration was granted to the following counties: Clay, Estill, Jackson, Knott, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher and Perry.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Jackson, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 3, 2:20 PM EST, 3 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 320 PM EDT SUN MAY 3 2009 .SHORT TERM.../TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/...UPDATED 18Z SFC ANALYSIS SHOWS LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPING OVER THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY WITH A STATIONARY FRONT DRAPED JUST SOUTH OF THE KENTUCKY BORDER. OVER-RUNNING SHOWERS CONTINUE TO SPREAD NORTH AND EAST OF THIS BOUNDARY KEEPING EAST KENTUCKY QUITE DAMP. AFTER A BIT OF A LULL...THE SHOWERS HAVE FILLED BACK IN TO OUR SOUTHWEST SETTING UP A VERY WET NIGHT FOR MOST OF THE AREA. TEMPERATURES REMAIN ON THE CHILLY SIDE THROUGH THE CWA WITH READINGS RANGING FROM THE MID 50S IN THE NORTHWEST TO THE MID 60S IN THE FAR SOUTHEAST. FROM LAST NIGHT THROUGH TODAY MUCH OF FAR SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY HAS PICKED UP BETWEEN ONE AND TWO INCHES OF RAIN...PRIMING THESE LOCATIONS FOR FLASH FLOODING WITH THE ADDITION OF ANY MORE HEAVY RAIN. UNFORTUNATELY... THAT IS WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT SO HAVE ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH NOON FOR OUR SOUTHEAST COUNTIES AND AN ESF ADDRESSING THE FLASH FLOOD POTENTIAL ELSEWHERE AS WELL AS HIGHLIGHTING THE THREAT OF RIVER FLOODING LATER IN THE WEEK AS THE RUNOFF MOVES DOWNSTREAM. FOR THE SHORT TERM...THE MODELS ARE IN GOOD ENOUGH AGREEMENT ALOFT WITH THE SHARP TROUGH SHIFTING THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY LATER TONIGHT AND EARLY MONDAY. THE GFS IS A LITTLE STRONGER THAN THE NAM WITH THIS FEATURE...BUT ALSO APPEARS TO SUFFER FROM GRID SCALE FEEDBACK. AS SUCH...HAVE FOLLOWED THE NAM SOLUTION MOST CLOSELY. HEAVY RAIN IS ANTICIPATED TONIGHT AS THE LATEST SFC LOW MOVES OUT OF THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AND NORTHEAST ALONG THAT BOUNDARY...JUST TO OUR SOUTH. EXPECT THIS PROCESS TO SHIFT THIS BOUNDARY NORTHWARD AS IT DOES SO...PROVIDING A GOOD FOCUSING MECHANISM FOR OVER-RUNNING RAINS. THIS RAIN WILL BE FED BY A SOMEWHAT COUPLED JET STRUCTURE ALOFT...MODERATELY HIGH PWATS...AND A 50 KT 850 JET FROM THE SOUTH. ANTICIPATE HEAVY SHOWERS...ALONG WITH A FEW EMBEDDED...ELEVATED... THUNDERSTORMS...TO DEVELOP LATER THIS EVENING AND RAKE ACROSS FAR EAST KENTUCKY WITH MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN THE RESULT. MUCH OF THIS RAIN WILL FALL ON GROUND ALREADY SATURATED BY THE RAINS OF THE PAST FEW DAYS. ACCORDINGLY...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN HOISTED FOR THESE AREAS. EXPECT THE LOW TO EXIT THE CWA DURING THE MORNING... MONDAY...TAKING ITS HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH IT...BUT LEAVING BEHIND A FEW LINGERING SHOWERS AND STILL PLENTY OF CLOUDS. IN ADDITION...THE EXPECTED RAINFALL TONIGHT SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO LEAD TO HIGH WATER AND FLOODING CONCERNS ALONG THE MAIN STEM RIVERS...PARTICULARLY THE CUMBERLAND AND TO A LESSER EXTENT THE KENTUCKY. AN ESF HAS BEEN ISSUED ADDRESSING THIS CONCERN. AS FOR TEMPERATURES...FOLLOWED THE ADJUSTED MET GUIDANCE THE CLOSEST THROUGH THE SHORT TERM AS THE NAM WAS THE FAVORED MODEL. MADE ONLY LIMITED TERRAIN ADJUSTMENTS BASED ON OUR SATURATED ENVIRONMENT. AS FOR POPS...PRETTY MUCH ENDED UP WITH CATEGORICAL FOR MOST OF THE AREA TONIGHT AND THEN EARLY MONDAY BEFORE QUICKLY DROPPING BACK TO CHANCE BY THE AFTERNOON. .LONG TERM.../MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/...UPDATED AN ACTIVE LONG TERM PATTERN IS IN STORE AS NEARLY ZONAL FLOW ALOFT WILL GIVE WAY TO A COUPLE OF AMPLIFIED H5 TROUGHS THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. THE ECMWF CONTINUES TO BE THE PREFERRED MODEL THROUGH THE EXTENDED WITH SUPPORT FROM GEFS/GEM/NAEFS AND HPC. OPERATIONAL GFS IS AN OUTLIER WITH MOST ENSEMBLE MEMBERS LEANING MORE TOWARD SLOWER AND MORE AMPLIFIED ECMWF SOLUTIONS. LINGERING PRECIPITATION ON MONDAY NIGHT WILL QUICKLY TAPER OFF AS MAIN TROUGH AXIS SLIDES EAST AND WEAK AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN ON TUESDAY. WILL MAINTAIN LOW CHANCE POPS IN THE EASTERN HALF OF THE CWA BEFORE A WARM FRONT LIFTS NORTH ACROSS THE REGION ON TUESDAY NIGHT AND POPS INCREASE AS INFLUENCE FROM DIGGING H5 TROUGH AND ISENTROPIC LIFT COMMENCE. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW SOME ELEVATED INSTABILITY...SO WILL INCLUDE SMALL CHANCES FOR THUNDER AS WELL. EAST KENTUCKY WILL BE IN THE WARM SECTOR OF DEVELOPING SURFACE LOW OVER INDIANA ON WEDNESDAY. GOOD CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL EXIST DURING THIS TIME AND CONTINUE THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS THE ABOVE MENTIONED SURFACE LOW SWINGS A COLD FRONT THROUGH THE AREA BY MID MORNING ON THURSDAY. THE ECMWF IS PAINTING SOME PRETTY SIGNIFICANT QPF WITH THIS ENTIRE SYSTEM AND WITH PLENTY OF RAINFALL AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM...WILL HAVE TO MONITOR THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME HYDRO PROBLEMS ON WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. CONFIDENCE DECREASES IN FORECAST AFTER MID WEEK SYSTEM AS MODELS DIVERGE ON POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS...HOWEVER A CONTINUED ACTIVE PATTERN IS LIKELY WITH ANOTHER AMPLIFIED H5 TROUGH DIGGING INTO ZONAL FLOW AND ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW/COLD FRONT SWINGING THROUGH EAST KENTUCKY ON FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY. ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE LIKELY WITH THIS WAVE. AS FOR TEMPERATURES...WENT ABOVE OR BELOW MEX GUIDANCE IN AREAS WHERE ECMWF SOLUTION WAS NOTICEABLY DIFFERENT. OVERALL...LOW TEMPERATURES WILL MOSTLY BE ABOVE CLIMO FOR THE PERIOD AS CLOUD COVER WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES UP. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL GENERALLY REMAIN NEAR THE MID 70S...AROUND CLIMO FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. && .AVIATION.../18Z TO 18Z/ LIFR AND OCCASIONAL VLIFR CIGS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE PERIOD BENEATH THE SATURATED AIR MASS...EXPECT ANY IMPROVEMENTS TO BE QUITE LIMITED. A LULL IN THE STEADIER PCPN SHOULD OCCUR UNTIL AROUND SUNSET WHEN THE NEXT BATCH OF CONVECTION MOVES IN...WITH FORCE. HAVE ADDED A PERIOD OF TSRA FOR THIS WAVE MOVING OVERHEAD DURING THE LATE NIGHT HOURS. POOR AVN CONDITIONS THEN CONTINUE INTO MONDAY MORNING WITH CIGS STILL EXPECTED TO BE IFR...AT BEST...EVEN AS THE VIS IMPROVES ONCE THE MAIN WAVE PASSES. WINDS THROUGH THE PERIOD WILL BE GENERALLY LIGHT...AROUND 5 KTS...AS THEY SPIN AROUND THE DIAL FROM NORTHEAST TO SOUTHEAST AND THEN BACK TO NORTHEAST BY MONDAY MORNING. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLASH FLOOD WATCH FROM 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY MORNING FOR KYZ079-080-083>088-110-113-115>120. && SHORT TERM...GREIF LONG TERM...SCHOETTMER AVIATION...GREIF
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY 430 PM EDT SUN MAY 3 2009 KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069-104-106>109-111-112-114-042330- FLEMING-MONTGOMERY-BATH-ROWAN-ESTILL-POWELL-MENIFEE-ROCKCASTLE- JACKSON-ELLIOTT-MORGAN-JOHNSON-WOLFE-MAGOFFIN-LEE-BREATHITT-OWSLEY- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...FLEMINGSBURG...MOUNT STERLING... OWINGSVILLE...MOREHEAD...IRVINE...STANTON...FRENCHBURG... MOUNT VERNON...MCKEE...SANDY HOOK...WEST LIBERTY...PAINTSVILLE... CAMPTON...SALYERSVILLE...BEATTYVILLE...JACKSON...BOONEVILLE 430 PM EDT SUN MAY 3 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT ALONG WITH PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN. AS A RESULT OF THE HEAVY RAIN...LOCALIZED FLOODING OF CREEKS AND STREAMS WILL BE A POSSIBILITY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. A THUNDERSTORM WILL BE POSSIBLE EARLY MONDAY ALONG WITH BRIEF HEAVY RAIN. RUNOFF FROM THIS COULD CAUSE LOCALIZED CREEK AND STREAM FLOODING. THE RAINS OF THE PAST COUPLE DAYS ARE EXPECTED TO LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT RISES ON AREA RIVERS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT HEAVY RAINFALL...AS WELL AS ANY INSTANCES OF FLOODING TONIGHT AND MONDAY. KYZ079-080-083>088-110-113-115>120-042330- PULASKI-LAUREL-WAYNE-MCCREARY-WHITLEY-KNOX-BELL-HARLAN-FLOYD-KNOTT- PERRY-CLAY-LESLIE-LETCHER-MARTIN-PIKE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...SOMERSET...LONDON...MONTICELLO... WHITLEY CITY...CORBIN...WILLIAMSBURG...BARBOURVILLE...MIDDLESBORO... PINEVILLE...HARLAN...PRESTONSBURG...HINDMAN...HAZARD...MANCHESTER... HYDEN...WHITESBURG...INEZ...PIKEVILLE 430 PM EDT SUN MAY 3 2009 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY MORNING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN KENTUCKY. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. MODERATE TO HEAVY SHOWERS...ALONG WITH A FEW EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BRING HEAVY RAIN TO THE AREA TONIGHT. THE RAINS COULD BECOME EXCESSIVE LEADING TO FLASH FLOODING OF CREEKS AND STREAMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. A THUNDERSTORM WILL BE POSSIBLE EARLY MONDAY ALONG WITH BRIEF HEAVY RAIN. RUNOFF FROM THIS COULD CAUSE LOCALIZED CREEK AND STREAM FLOODING. THE RAINS OF THE PAST COUPLE DAYS ARE EXPECTED TO LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT RISES ON AREA RIVERS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT HEAVY RAINFALL...AS WELL AS ANY INSTANCES OF FLOODING TONIGHT AND MONDAY. GREIF
The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 104 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:18 UTC.
22 flash flood, 8 flood, 2 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Several creeks in southeast McCreary county, including Hayes Creek and Osborne Creek, were reported to be rising out of their banks, some running close to the bottom of bridges.
County dispatch reported water flowing onto Hwy 92 in places, but not enough to close the road.
Corbin dispatch reported that a roadway was closed at Roy Kidd Depot at the underpass due to high water.
Bee Creek Road was flooded and closed; water had made it up to the front porch steps of one home near the creek. Law enforcement reported at 115 am the evacuation of one residence in Bee Creek with flash flooding reported at several locations between Williamsburg and Corbin including the Kensey Hollow and Little Wolf Creek areas.
Numerous streets were closed in the city of London due to flash flooding.
A public report of flash flooding in Williamsburg was confirmed by law enforecement although the extent of the flooding was not known.
Highway 1350 in Burning Springs was flooded.
Water was over Canoe Road in the town of Canoe.
Flood waters covered Highway 52 and ran into a yard.
Flash flooding reported in Gray and Dowis Chapel road closed by flood waters.
A coop observer measured 2.68 inches of rainfall in Island City. Highway 1350 in the Holly Fork area of Island City was flooded.
Highway 1635 was closed due to flood waters at Oakley. Numerous other roads throughout the county also were covered with high water.
Abbott Creek was causing flash flooding in Bonanza. Water was also knee deep and flooding a car in Bonanza.
Low lying areas along the creek were flooding and likely the highest since 2004. The south end of an apartment building was threatened by flood waters about 5 miles west of Prestonsburg. Vehicles in that part of the parking lot had to be moved. Flood water appeared to be up to the level of the Granny Fritz Branch Road bridge over Middle Creek. Flood water was beginning to surround a mobile home on a permanent foundation on the south side of KY 114 near the western intersection of West Old Middle Creek Road with KY 114.
Water was across LIttle Wolfe Creek Road.
Numerous roads were closed countywide due to flood waters including Falcon Road, Route 7, Miller Fork at Bear Branch, Burning fork, and Mash Fork.
Numerous roads were closed due to high water.
Water 2 to 2 1/2 feet deep was across Highway 1427. A water rescue was required after a motorist drove into the high water.
Several locations on Highway 6 were under water. California Holler was impassable.
Kentucky 229 was closed at Horse Hollow Road. Other roads closed in the county include Wilton School Road at Old Mosely Road, Rappier Hollow Road, Wilson Branch Road, Dowis Chapel Road, and Wilton School Road at Chapel Grove Church.
Water was over the road at the intersection of Highways 1350 and 1503. Water was also in the parking lot and inside Tom Callahan Grocery. Water was across Hutchins Fork Road for nearly a mile.
Water was running over Route 40 east and numerous other roads and was also in the city park.
A personal property bridge was washed away by flood waters.
Some stuctural and crop damage is visible. Low lying areas along the creek are flooding between mile markers 6 and 10. The creek is receding upstream of the elementary school. Water is up to and into the basements and possibly lowest levels of a few homes and businesses adjacent to Middle Creek in the community along Clark Drive on KY 114.
Low lying areas around Middle Creek are flooded between mile markers 7 and 10. A few mobile homes are surrounded and roadways are covered in low spots.
Water was across Highway 290 at Highway 30.
Water was across Highway 1505 between mile markers 7 and 8.
A tree and mud slid onto the road due to a mudslide on Route 1750 between Bonanza and Hagar Hill.
Dark Hollow Road was closed due to flooding.
Red Lick Road is closed due to flooding.
Millers Creek Road was closed due to flooding.
The county emergency manager reported that several roads were closed due to flooding. These include state Highway 1571, State Highway 3328, Dark Hollow Road, Nolands Creek Road, and Driftwood Drive.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, May 2009
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 172060, 172062, 172064, 172066, 172067, 172069, 172071, 172072, 172073, 172074, 172070, 172075, 172076, 172122, 172113, 172077, 172079, 172085, 172115, 172116, 172118, 172119, 172123, 172131, 172126, 172081, 172128, 172130, 172133, 172134, 172136, 172137.